SQR Configuration for Printing International Text

SQR for PeopleSoft is a Unicode application. It can generate reports that contain multiple languages, such as English, French, Japanese, and Thai, on a single report and even on a single page, if you use advanced reporting output types like PDF, SPF, HTML, or Enhanced HTML. However, for other output types that SQR supports, printing or generating reports in languages other than the Western European languages might require special considerations. This section provides some hints for customizing or resolving international text printing issues with SQR for PeopleSoft.

This section discusses how to:

  • Set up encoding parameters.

  • Set up fonts.

  • Set up PDF fonts.

  • Set up files for PCL and line printing.

  • Set up files for PostScript printing.

This section also discusses limitations of SQR for PeopleSoft to print international text.

Setting Up Fonts

SQR for PeopleSoft represents fonts internally as numbers, and the pssqr.ini/unx file controls the mapping between the font numbers for some printer types. The [Fonts] section in the pssqr.ini/unx file controls the font mappings of the following output types:

  • SPF Viewer

  • WP (Microsoft Windows Printer)

  • Enhanced HTML

By default, this section is not configured with language-specific fonts. This is because Microsoft Windows and HTML browsers have a font linking mechanism that allows them to select an appropriate language-specific font automatically when the font specified does not have characters to show. However, Microsoft Windows and the browser's font linking works differently based on versions, availability of fonts on the system, and the configuration of Microsoft Windows and the browser. If you experience problems showing characters for these output types, you should try the configuration described in this section

To set up fonts:

  1. Open the appropriate pssqr.ini/unx file for your language, located in PS_HOME\sqr.

  2. In the [Fonts] section, the following default values appear.

    Use the chart to replace each of the entries for your target language.

    3=Courier New,fixed
300=Courier New,fixed,bold
4=Arial,proportional
400=Arial,proportional,bold
5=Times New Roman,proportional
500=Times New Roman,proportional,bold
6=AvantGarde,proportional
8=Palatino,proportional
800=Palatino,proportional,bold
11=Symbol,symbol
900=unknown,proportional
901=Times New Roman,proportional
28825=MS UI Gothic,proportional
Font Number Japanese Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese Thai Korean

3

MS Gothic, proportional

SimHei, proportional

MingLiu, proportional

CordiaUPC, proportional

GulimChe, proportional

300

MS Gothic, proportional, bold

SimHei, proportional, bold

MingLiu, proportional, bold

CordiaUPC, proportional, bold

GulimChe, proportional, bold

4

MS Gothic, proportional

SimHei, proportional

MingLiu, proportional

CordiaUPC, proportional

GulimChe, proportional

400

MS Gothic, proportional, bold

SimHei, proportional, bold

MingLiu, proportional, bold

CordiaUPC, proportional, bold

GulimChe, proportional, bold

5

MS Mincho, proportional

SimSun, proportional

MingLiu, proportional

AngsanaUPC, proportional

BatangChe, proportional

500

MS Mincho, proportional, bold

SimSun, proportional, bold

MingLiu, proportional, bold

AngsanaUPC, proportional, bold

BatangChe, proportional, bold

6

MS Gothic, proportional

SimHei, proportional

MingLiu, proportional

CordiaUPC, proportional

GulimChe, proportional

8

MS Gothic, proportional

SimHei, proportional

MingLiu, proportional

CordiaUPC, proportional

GulimChe, proportional

800

MS Gothic, proportional, bold

SimHei, proportional, bold

MingLiu, proportional, bold

CordiaUPC, proportional, bold

GulimChe, proportional, bold

901

MS Mincho, proportional

SimSun, proportional

MingLiu, proportional

CordiaUPC, proportional

GulimChe, proportional

28825

MS UI Gothic, proportional

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Setting Up PDF Fonts

For PDF output, SQR for PeopleSoft has an internal font linking mechanism by which you can link up to 10 fonts for a single font number. This allows you to get character coverage that is not possible by using single font. With this feature, you can print reports containing multiple languages without rewriting your program to show each language in a different font. PeopleSoft delivers the pssqr.ini/unx file with world-ready configuration; therefore, you usually do not need to modify the pssqr.ini/unx file to print non-Western European languages. Many major business languages can be printed in PDF independent of the user's language settings on the My Personalization page. For example, you can output Greek data in PDF even when your My Personalizations language is set to English.

Although it is possible to print Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text in a PDF report without modifying the pssqr.ini/unx configuration, printing Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text in a single report requires special configuration. Font linking data is configured in the pssqr.ini/unx file and is transparent to the user. Depending on your reporting requirements, you can add or remove fonts from the delivered configuration, and you can control which actual font to use down to a single character level. This section explains how to add fonts for PDF output.

The [PDF Fonts] section in the pssqr.ini/unx file supports multiple fonts mapped to a single font number.

The [PDF Fonts: Exclusion Ranges] section of the file specifies exclusion ranges for fonts listed in the [PDF Fonts] section. If an exclusion range is set, then when a character is covered by a font, that font is not used to print the character. Exclusion ranges are set in Unicode format, in hexadecimal or decimal. The base configuration does not contain an exclusion range.

The [TrueType Fonts] section of the file specifies the mapping from TrueType font names used in the [PDF Fonts] configuration section, along with the physical file path of the font on the operating system. For TrueType collection (.ttc) files, the font directory number should also be specified (in the format font name=file path, directory number.

The font path is the directory where the font resides. The default is SQRDIR. On Microsoft Windows, the font directory is looked up as well. Fonts residing in other directories must be specified by their full physical pathnames.

The [PDF Fonts] information in the pssqr.ini/unx file is language-specific for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages; the information is the same for other supported languages due to Unicode characteristics. If you want to add another language (for example, Russian), you should refer to the documentation for adding new languages.

See the PeopleSoft 9.2 Application Installation for your database platform.

See Understanding the Addition of New Language Definitions.

See SQR Language Reference for PeopleSoft.

Sample Steps for Adding a Font for PDF Output: User Defined Font for Japanese

For computing in the Japanese language, it is common to use user-defined characters. A user-defined character is a character that is not encoded in standard character sets like JIS X 0208 or Unicode, and sometimes variants of glyphs existing in standard character sets. This kind of character is often used for a person's name. Unicode has space allocated to encode such user-defined characters, and users can create fonts that include characters not defined in Japanese fonts.

On Microsoft Windows, users can create user-defined fonts using a program called EUDCEDIT to design and define private characters. This program creates a TrueType font file named "eudc.tte" under the Microsoft Windows font folder. As an example of adding fonts for PDF output from SQR for PeopleSoft, perform the following steps to add the "eudc.tte" font to the PeopleSoft-delivered configuration file for Japanese, pssqrjpn.ini:

  1. Open the pssqrjpn.ini file from PS_HOME\sqr and add the following line under [TrueType Fonts] section: 

    [TrueType Fonts]
Font Path=...
Cumberland=...
GaijiFont=eudc.tte

    As explained in this section, you do not need to specify a full path for the font residing in the Microsoft Windows font folder, and you can specify a name different from the actual name of the font ("GaijiFont" means a user defined font in Japanese. The actual font name that "eudc.tte" itself has is "EUDC").

  2. Under the [PDF Fonts] section, add "GaijiFont" at the end of the font list.

    For example, for font number 3:

    3=Courier,HeiseiKakuGo-W5,Cumberland,MHei-Medium,STSong-Light,HYGoThic-Medium,
Angsana,GaijiFont

  3. Define exclusion ranges in the [PDF Fonts: Exclusion Ranges] section, to exclude higher priority fonts to show characters in the Unicode private use range where characters in eudc.tte are defined.

    Chinese fonts have glyphs defined in the Unicode private use range mainly to include characters defined in national character standards like GBK but not defined in earlier versions of Unicode. Thai fonts also have Thai presentation form characters mapped in the Unicode private use range. As we are working on a Japanese configuration and Chinese characters and Thai presentation forms are rarely needed in a Japanese context, we will configure these fonts not to print characters in the Unicode private range, and private range characters are always printed using "GaijiFont," which we just added. The Unicode private use range is from 0xE000 to 0xF8FF. Chinese fonts are third and fourth in the font link list, and the Thai font is seventh. Therefore, the exclusion definition looks like the following (exclusion range setting for second font comes from original configuration of pssqrjpn.ini, that excludes extended Latin characters from Japanese font): 

    3=,0x0000-0x02FF,,0xE000-0xF8FF,0xE000-0xF800,0xE000-0xF800,,

Considerations for Printing Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Text in a Single PDF Output

Unicode application printing of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text in a single context requires special consideration in the use of fonts, because Unicode encodes ideographs used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages in unified codepoints. A Unicode character is unique in meaning, but the glyph (the shape of the character) might be different depending on the language context. A commonly used technique in resolving this glyph difference is to use a language-specific font for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, based on external context.

The PeopleSoft system delivers different font linking configurations for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages in language-specific pssqr.ini/unx files. In the Simplified Chinese configuration, the Simplified Chinese font is given higher priority than other Chinese, Japanese, or Korean fonts, so that a Simplified Chinese glyph is used for most Chinese ideographs. At runtime, PeopleSoft Process Scheduler picks up language-specific pssqr.ini/unx files with appropriate font linking data for the language, based on the user's My Personalization language setting. If you set your language as Traditional Chinese, the configuration file that uses the Traditional Chinese font for the majority of ideographic characters will be picked up. It is recommended that you set up the language in the My Personalization page when you are printing reports that include Chinese, Japanese, and Korean data. If you do not use any Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages for the My Personalization page, the default configuration is used and in this case the printed glyph image might be different from what you expect to see.

If you have a reporting requirement to print a mix of Chinese and Japanese in a single report and you need to show each language in the correct glyph image for that language, you will need to use the ALTER-PRINTER command to programmatically change the font in your SQR program based on external data, such as the Language Code of the data. For this purpose, pssqr.ini/unx files are provided with the following font numbers, each of which uses fonts specific for each Chinese, Japanese, and Korean locale.

  • 28825, 28752 (Japanese).

  • 37110, 37058 (Simplified Chinese).

  • 33269 (Traditional Chinese).

Setting Up Files for PCL and Line Printing

Most of the configurations for printing international text from SQR for PeopleSoft are performed by setting options in the pssqr.ini/unx file. However, for some of the printer-specific settings, you must set parameters in SQR for PeopleSoft programs because of the SQR for PeopleSoft syntax.

For example, SQR for PeopleSoft enables users to control printer parameters for PCL format in DEFINE-PRINTER or ALTER-PRINTER commands. PeopleTools provides default setup values for PCL format in three SQC files (ptset01.sqc, ptset02.sqc and ptset02a.sqc). If you intend to print languages in PCL format other than those covered by Latin1, you must add printer setup parameters to the SQC files.

Before you perform the configuration tasks described in this section, make sure that you have properly configured your printers to print in the target language.

If your printer does not have the fonts for the languages you want to print, you might need to purchase fonts in ROM from your printer vendor and install them on your printer.

The parameters you set for PCL printing must be consistent with the ENCODING parameters set in the pssqr.ini/unx file. You must set up the ENCODING parameters for each language before you set the parameters for PCL printing.

To set up PCL printing parameters for Japanese:

  1. Open setenv.sqc file under PS_HOME\sqr.

  2. Uncomment the following parameter:

     #define PRINT_JAPANESE

  3. Save and close the file.

To set up PCL printing parameters for languages other than Japanese:

Note:

If you intend to print a language other than those covered by Latin1 and if it is not Japanese, follow these steps to set up the SQC files. The values presented here are examples and can vary depending on your printer. You should check your printer manual for the appropriate fonts and symbol sets.

  1. Open the ptset01.sqc file located under PS_HOME\sqr.

  2. Between the declare printer DEFAULT-HP and end-declare statements, add the following information with the appropriate values:

    font
symbol-set

    The values you set differ from language to language. The following table shows sample values for several languages commonly used by PeopleSoft customers.

    Language Font Symbol Set

    Central/Eastern European

    No need to set.

    2N

    Traditional Chinese

    33269

    18T

    Simplified Chinese

    37058

    18C

    For example, if you are setting ptset01.sqc for Simplified Chinese printing, try the following setting:

    declare-printer DEFAULT-HP
#ifdef PRINT_JAPANESE
		init-string=<27>&t31P
		font=28825
		symbol-set=19K
#endif
		font=37058symbol-set=18C
		point-size=7.2
		pitch=17
end-declare

  3. Under the declare printer DEFAULT-LP statement, locate the init-string parameter.

    Modify the init-string parameter based on the language to print. The following example shows sample values for HP LaserJet printer’s line printer mode. Consult your printer manual for correct values for this parameter.

    Language init-string

    Eastern European

    <27>E<27>(2N<27>&l0O<27>&l6C<27>&l0E<27>&l95F<27>(s16.66H<27>&k2G

    Traditional Chinese

    <27>E<27>(18T<27>&l0O<27>&16C<27>&10E<27>&195F<27>(s16.66H<27>&k2G<27>(s1p7.25v0s0b33269T

    Simplified Chinese

    <27>E<27>(18C<27>&l0O<27>&16C<27>&10E<27>&195F<27>(s16.66H<27>&k2G<27>(s1p7.25v0s0b37058T

  4. Save and close the file.

  5. Open ptset02.sqc from PS_HOME\sqr and repeat steps 2 through 4.

  6. Open ptset02a.sqc PS_HOME\sqr and repeat steps 2 through 4.

Setting up Files for PostScript Output

In addition to PCL and line printer format, SQR for PeopleSoft supports output in PostScript format, which can be printed with a printer that has PostScript interpreter. However, you configure fonts in a setup file provided for PostScript printing.

The parameters you set for PostScript printing must to be consistent with the ENCODING parameters you set in the pssqr.ini/unx file.

By default, the setup file provided for PostScript printing is configured for printing Western European languages. Depending on the encoding parameter in the pssqr.ini/unx file, you must either “re-encode” fonts, or use different fonts that support specific languages other than those set in the configuration file by default (you may need to use printer pre-installed fonts that support specific languages, or install external fonts on your printers). Consult your printer manual for the character sets your printer supports.

To set up files for PostScript output:

  1. Open the postscri.str file from PS_HOME\bin\sqr\db_platform\binw or from the directory where the SQR executable resides.

  2. If you are using select character sets, such as Latin9, it is possible to print the entire repertoire of the character set just by re-encoding PostScript fonts.

    The PeopleSoft system delivers PostScript code and re-encoding data for Microsoft Windows CP1252 and CP1250 on Microsoft Windows, and Latin1, Latin9, and Latin2 on Unix/Linux. The default is CP1252 on Microsoft Windows and Latin1 on Unix/Linux. If you are using other character sets, the PeopleSoft system provides re-encoding data and you will need to modify part of the setup file. For example, the following example is for using the Latin9 character set on Unix/Linux platforms:

    Locate the following section:

    % ISO Latin1
/CODE []
160 /space
...

    Comment out the “CODE” section entirely, by adding a percent sign (%) at the beginning of each line.

    Locate the following section:

    % ISO Latin9 
% (enable this array when you set ENCODING/ENCODING-REPORT-OUTPUT=ISO-8859-15
%  and comment out above array for ISO Latin1)
% /CODE [
% 160 /space
…

    Remove the percent signs in front of each line for the entire “CODE” section.

    Note:

    If you plan to use CP1250 on Microsoft Windows or Latin2 on Unix/Linux, you will need to ensure that fonts installed on printer have the characters needed for these character sets. Depending on the printer and the fonts installed, you may not be able to print the entire repertoire of these Eastern European character sets using provided re-encoding data. Note also that if you plan to use character sets other than those discussed previously in this section, you will need to ensure that the printer has fonts supporting the specific character set you want to use. You may need to install additional fonts, and may also need to re-encode the fonts by adding your own font re-encoding data.

  3. Some other character sets, including character sets commonly used for Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, can be printed by using PostScript fonts supporting the specific language. You can replace the font names in the setup file in the following way:

    Locate the following section:

    /Fonts [   % Array of point sizes and font names

    Replace each font with the name of the appropriate font installed on your printer that can print the target language. For CJK languages (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), PostScript printers accept the font names in the following format: 

    (Font Name)-(CMap name)

    Font Name represents the name of the font installed on your printer that supports the language that you want to print. CMap is a file the PostScript printer used to find the glyph that corresponds to the codepoint passed to the printer. You need to use the CMap that matches the encoding specified in the ENCODING parameter in the pssqr.ini/unx file.

    The following example shows setup values for each of the CJK languages. Supported font names and CMap files may vary depending on your printer. For details, refer to your printer documentation.

    Language Report Output Encoding Serif Typeface San Serif Typeface

    Japanese

    SJIS

    Ryumin-Light-RKSJ-H

    GothicBBB-Medium-RKSJ-H

    Traditional Chinese

    Big5

    MSung-Light-B5-H

    MHei-Medium-B5-H

    Simplified Chinese

    CP936

    STSong-Light-GBK-EUC-H

    STHeiti-Regular-GBK-EUC-H

    Korean

    CP949

    HYSMyoeongJo-Medium-KSCms-UHC-H

    HYGoThic-Medium-KSCms-UHC-H

    If you do not need to re-encode the fonts you have set, you must comment out the following section entirely by adding a percent sign (%) in front of each line. (For CJK character sets, you do not need to re-encode fonts; however, you might need to do so for other languages.)

    %
% Re-encode all the fonts except for symbol/dingbats
% (do not re-encode CJK fonts - if you intend to use CJK fonts comment
%  out the below section entirely)
%
/Courier /Courier CODE ReEncode
/Courier-Bold /Courier-Bold CODE ReEncode
/Helvetica /Helvetica CODE ReEncode
/Helvetica-Bold /Helvetica-Bold CODE ReEncode
…

  4. Save and close the file.

Limitations in Printing International Text from SQR for PeopleSoft

The following limitations apply when printing international text from SQR for PeopleSoft:

  • SQR for PeopleSoft does not support languages that require bi-directional text rendering, such as Arabic and Hebrew.

  • The default configuration of report formats other than PDF, SPF, WP, HTML, and Enhanced HTML is to use non-Unicode character sets (ISO or commonly used national standard character sets on Unix/Linux, and the Microsoft Windows character set on Microsoft Windows).

    The ability to print language data for LP, HP, PS, CSV, and HT output types is limited by the character set used for output. For example, you can print Western European languages like English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese using the Latin1 character set (which is used in pssqr.unx), but you cannot add Polish data using Latin1 because the Polish language uses characters not encoded in the Latin1 character set. You can configure the pssqr.ini/unx files to generate output types other than HT in Unicode-based character sets like UCS-2 or UTF-8, but in these cases you need to ensure that your printer or viewer application supports Unicode natively.

  • If you intend to print output using the LP, HP, or PS format, SQR for PeopleSoft's ability to print international characters is also limited by the fonts installed on the printers. For example, you can print Japanese on a PostScript printer if a Japanese font like Ryumin-Light is installed on the printer. However, if your printer does not natively provide font support, the printer output with international text may not be printed as intended. Unlike with PDF output, SQR for PeopleSoft currently does not support downloading host-based fonts, including True Type fonts, to the printer as part of the print job. Printing from Adobe Reader or SPF Viewer is not affected by this limitation.